


Changeling Leader

by Potato_Being



Series: Changeling [8]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Canon Divergence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-17 03:46:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 13,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9302732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Potato_Being/pseuds/Potato_Being





	1. Chapter 1

I drive the speeder through the scrub. The rest of Jet Squad follows closely.

“We have to find them fast! If we don’t one or more of them could die soon!” I shout over the roar of the engines. They nod in agreement, and we tighten up, the others riding my wake.

I look up when I hear blaster shots. The others hear it to, and we gun the engines, shooting off toward the noise. I see stormtroopers attacking people in the scrub. Then I see the purple and green blades swinging wildly.

“There, Admiral!” Lemon yells.

“Let’s go! Round them off, separate the troopers from the clones!” I order. We get into position and fly off the small ridge into the center of the fight. I shoot down stormtroopers, and ram one in black armor. The others get rid of the rest, and we pull up in front of Ahsoka.

“You’re late.” She says.

“Yeah, well, we had a slight problem with security.” Lemon tells her.

“Should I know something?” she asks me.

“Just that if we get a ship I want the prison we just came from blown to bits.” I reply.

“Well at least we have speeders.” Numa says.

“And food!” Kink says brightly. Kix takes the medical supplies and begins treating clones.

“Where’s Anya?” I ask.

“I don’t know.” Ahsoka says. I frown slightly, wondering where that nexu could have gotten.

“You held up well.” Ahsoka says later. We’re hiding out under the jungle canopy, and stole a couple more speeders, enough for everyone.

“You kidding me? She then went and killed a Moff after we got out, no sweat!” Denk says.

“I think all the sweat she had disappeared when she hit the water.” Jas tells him. I look over to Blast who’s on the edge of the small camp, his back to us, trying to sleep.

“I think we should do like Blast’s trying to do, and go to sleep.” I say. Ahsoka agrees, and we do so. My squad lies down around me, either to protect me or for me to protect them.

 


	2. Chapter 2

I wake up, thinking I felt a needle in my chest. I look around, thinking I’m still strapped to a table, and sigh when I see the living, lush green of the leaves, vines and grass. I close my eyes, trying to sleep, but all I can see it the needles and the Imperial.

“Can’t sleep?” I look over at Blast. “It’s okay. I have the same dreams.” I nod slightly and he moves closer, but stops when I look at him. “I’m a little scared.”

“How so?” I ask.

“We need to get off this planet. I don’t know why, I just don’t feel same here, even in the forest.”

“If we had Anya I’d feel better.” I reply.

“You love her, don’t you?” he asks.

“Yeah, of course I do. She’s had my back when we were alone, she’ll protect us, she’s sweet, caring, strong, brave…” I stop when Blast looks a little down.

“What, are you jealous?” I ask.

“A little.”

“You know I can’t have a better squad than you guys.” He smiles at me. “And I highly doubt I would be lying on the jungle floor right now if it weren’t for you.” I tell him.

“Me or the squad in general?” He asks.

“You. I think you're the most loyal of them all. I saw you when Lemon and I were underwater. Even if you haven’t said much, I think you're the strongest of us.” I reply.

“Are you saying that just to make me feel good?”

“A little. But the rest is true.” He smiles and leans back, staring up at the dark sky. I close my eyes and feel his life-heat, and I think that’s what protects me from the dreams.

 


	3. Chapter 3

 When I wake up again it’s because the sun’s up. I sit up and look around. The others are beginning to wake up, and I get up.

We shoot off through the jungle on the speeders. I glance around, taking note of where everything was, where big trees and ferns were, along with rocks and sticks. I look up when something flashes overhead. The others see it too, and I gun the engines, shooting out into where I can see it better.

It’s a ship, but not Imperial, I don’t know what it is. It lands by some people, who haul a couple crates on board it. They grab a metal one with holes in it, and I hear a distinctive roar. Anya. They haul the crate up into the ship and I get a glimpse of her shiny blue eyes as the door closes. I rev the engines, and get ready to shoot off after.

“Miirraa, what are you--” I don’t reply, just press the gas and shoot off.

“MIIRRAA! GET BACK HERE!” I hear Ahsoka yell, but I ignore her. I shoot toward the ship as it begins to take off. I put my lightsaber in my mouth, turn the speeder off and jump, using my jangojumper trick. I grab the side and climb up onto the top. I grab my lightsaber and activate it as a turret attacks me. I block the bolts and then jump away, climbing down onto where the hangar doors are.

I use the Force to pull them open, and jump in, letting them go so they slam loudly. I ready my lightsaber as a Twi’lek, a Zabrak and a Devaronian come out.

“You really shouldn’t by on here.” The Twi’lek says.

“Yeah? You really shouldn’t steal my nexu.” I reply.

“Your nexu? Hah. Those things eat anything in their path.” He tells me.

“Yeah. Like you.” I snarl, lift the crate she’s in and throw it with the Force at the pirates. It smashes against them and they fall back, and Anya leaps out, snarling. I hear them yelling as I walk into the cockpit.

A Weequay looks around to me and begins shouting in his language, pulling out a blaster. I block the bolts and run towards him, kick him, knock him down, and stomp on his face, effectively ending his career thanks to the spikes I put on the bottom of my boots.

I stumble when someone hits me from behind, and hit the controls. I feel the ship lurch and turn, hitting other buttons with my elbow, and swing to block another Weequay’s fist. I punch him and grab at his throat. He snarls and kicks me, and hits my face. I throw him off of me and hit him hard, then shove him back into the hangar where other pirates are fighting Anya and what looks like a young acklay and a small rancor.

I sit at the controls and begin trying to steer. I jerk the handles left and fall out as it veers left. I climb back onto the seat and pull it straight again, then look down at the scrub and decide to try a landing. I begin to slope the controls down, and angle it toward the scrub. 

I pull the stick up when the nose of the ship hits the ground, and look around for the landing gear. I think I find it; and hit the button, and smile when the little feet-things come out.

I turn and run out into the hangar after I open the doors to it and cut down the remaining pirates. The two creatures run out and into the scrub away from the ship. The others walk toward us as I lean against the door.

“Hey, Ahsoka, I found a ship!” I tell her.

“I can see that.” I turn around and go back in to learn it. It’s a huge ship. There are two turrets on each side in the cockpit, and another place to control the guns on top in the co-pilot’s seat. There’s a toilet, multiple places to sleep, a large living space, and the hangar is big enough to store two or three ships, plus our speeders. When Ahsoka finishes her check we all meet up in the cockpit.

“This ship could hold us all for months.”

“Well, we caught it, how about we keep it?” I ask.

“Sure.”

I step outside and help load our supplies into the ship.

Hey, it’s time to go. There’s a hangar for you to land in.

I call my ship that way and it comes, shooting into the hangar and landing. I drag the last speeder in and the door shuts after we make sure everyone’s there. Ahsoka and Numa take the controls, and we take off. As we pass over the prison I glare at it.

“Ahsoka, we have a ship.”

“Yeah. And?”

“And I told you I wanted to blow that prison to bits.” She shrugs and nods to the turret. I get in the turret and the domed glass on the side gives me a good aim for it. I take the guns and fire, taking out the tower, the buildings, everything, until it’s fallen down and burning. I get out and we take off into space, and then shoot for hyperspace, heading for the Outer Rim.

 


	4. Chapter 4

I look around. I see someone coming. It’s Gap. He hugs me and I cling tightly to him. I don’t want to let go, never.

“I miss you so much.” I whisper.

“I know.” I smell him, his warmth. Then I smell something else. Something kind of moldy. His skin begins to feel cooler, and I let go.

“I love you.” He says as he begins to disappear, his body turning the greys and greens of rot. My eyes widen as he ...vanishes, I reach toward where he was and stop when I feel nothing. The last I saw of him were his warm brown eyes, though they were sinking into his skull as he disappeared.

I wake up. I curl up into a ball and wait for morning, mourning my lost friend.

We hide out on Tatooine for a while, keeping the ship in the desert and taking the speeders into Mos Eisley.

I got off of my speeder and left Anya to guard it as I went into a cantina. I felt we were running a little low on credits, so I decided to go and steal stuff. I watched someone pass out beside me and I grabbed his wallet before anyone else had the chance to. I wandered off and got a drink.

I look up and saw two stormtroopers come in and I touch my lightsaber hilt. I get up and made for the exit.

“Miss!” I turn as one trooper approached me.

I’m glad I’m not my real shape, but I really don’t like the way the trooper and every other guy who saw me looked at me. I wish I had my armor on.

“Yes?” I ask.

“Are you in any connection with either the Rebel Alliance, the Jedi Order, or the Old Republic?” he asked me.

“No, what kind f question is that?” I reply.

“Just a routine question. We’ve had a recent string of criminal activity with ties to all three.”

“I see.” I turn and leave.

“Ran into a trooper today.” I say as I come into the main room.

“What happened?” Numa sits up and looks at me.

“Nothing, he just stared and asked whether I was a Rebel, knew a Jedi, or was in the Republic, or something like that.”

“And?”

“I lied, I denied all three.” I reply.

“You do a lot of that, don’t you?” she asks.

“Only with threat of extreme boredom, death or needed repayment.” I tell her.

“And this one would be?”

“Number two. And number one, it would be hard to go adventuring if I was dead or locked up.”

She sighs and turns back to her datapad.

After a while, mainly consisting of going into the city and seeing how many drunks could fit in a cantina brawl, Ahsoka told us it was time to go.

She didn’t tell us why, but when I went back into the city to grab a few last-minute supplies, I saw more stormtroopers, mainly centered around the cantinas. I think they got wise t our location.

I grabbed the stuff and got out, and I don’t think they noticed a run-down pirate ship take off from the desert. 

 


	5. Chapter 5

“There’s a Star Destroyer!” Sen shouted as we flew out of hyperspace over where we were going.

“I know, its the fleet’s capital ship, heavily guarded, very prized, and it’s a symbol of fear, that ship has commanded the army on all the takeovers of worlds.”

“Is that our target?” Sen asks.

“Yes.”

“So how do we get inside?” I ask.

“If we go closer, we should be able to get caught in the tractor beam. We can fight it out from there.” She replies.

“And do what?”

“Get into the main reactor room and destroy it.” Ahsoka tells us. “Fly lower, closer to the hangar. Be suspicious. They’ll catch us and take us in, and we’ll have them right where we want them.” Waxer and Boil fly lower, going way to close to the side of the ship, then gliding off, circling back, and cruising by.

The ship jerks to a stop as we prepare to take a fourth circle, and the ship slowly glides backward into the open hangar door. I grab my lightsaber and a couple charges and their detonator, ignoring everyone else as they get their gear. We’re ready and waiting as we stand at the door, and the ship shakes as it lands. The doors open and we open fire.

I slash my way through ten or so stormtroopers and then run for the main reactor room, grabbing some more charges from Jas along the way. When I get into the room I pause. 

The reactor is in the center, and only one catwalk intersects the platform on the edge where I’m standing and the platform around it. I run down the platform and begin setting charges when I’m Force-pushed from behind. I trip and fall, kick off on the edge of the platform and jump across.

I land on the other platform. I look up and someone lands behind me. I turn and my eyes widen. It’s me.

“What the hell?” I ask.

“You don’t really think the Imperial was sticking you just to stick you, right?” it asks.

“Maybe.”

“I was in that jar. I am you, same voice, same shape, same skills, same everything. They even gave me your lightsaber.” She takes out a lightsaber whose hilt is the exact copy of my old one. I activate mine and she copies me, an orange blade shooting out. She charges, and I block.

She has the same skill set, every trick I attempt she counters, neither of us can get the upper hand. I hear boots and turn to the incoming stormtroopers. I dodge my/her attacks and deflect blaster bolts. I duck a lightsaber blade and Force push the troopers away, then turn back to her.

She swings low and punches me. I stagger back and slip off the ledge. I grab the side and am grateful for the spikes on the bottom of my shoes.

Wait. That’s my one advantage. They didn’t know about the spikes, and if they did they probably ignored it, seeing as she has regular boots. I grip the wall and push off, land on the other wall and jump at her. I knock her over and she slides away, but jumps up quickly.

I run at her and kick her in the face, the spikes tearing it apart. She staggers, looks at me, and then falls off the side, screaming all the way down. I turn away and take my lightsaber, then hers, seeing as she’s a clone of me, that makes it mine, right?

I turn as even more troopers attack. I still have most of the charges, and slowly realize I can’t fight the troopers and put bombs on the reactor at the same time. As my main goal is to not be shot down, even if Ahsoka’s goal is met, I fight the troopers first. One has a force pike and swings it at me. He’s obviously been trained, and somehow gets the pack stuck on his stick and knocks it over the edge.

There goes our plan.

I kill him and run, explaining the situation to Ahsoka.

“Well get back here, we’re not making any headway either!” she shouts.

“On it.” I run out into the hangar and into a firefight, the two Jedi defending the ship, the clones on the offensive. Anya’s running around ripping into troopers, and somehow dodging their blaster fire. I don’t really care and just attack the troops, taking as many down as I can while making a beeline for the ship.

“Fall back! Get back here, all of you! We have to get out now!” Sen shouts into his comlink.

“Miirraa, prep the engines!” Ahsoka tells me. I nod and run in, forgetting for the moment that I don’t know how to fly well and my last attempt at these controls wasn’t the best. I turn the ship on and get it ready to take off. Anya bounds in, someone’s hand as a snack, and Jet Squad follows soon after.

“Alright, Jas, get us ready to take off.” I tell him, and I leave the room as he slides into the seat. I go back out and deflect blaster fire as the rest of the clones get in. Ahsoka and Sen go in and I follow as the hangar doors close. I run back into the cockpit and get in one of the turrets and begin firing, taking out the walls, the floor, the other ships, and whatever else is there. The ship takes off and we go into hyperspace, deeper into the Outer Rim.

“I’m sorry.” Ahsoka says. “I didn’t know how heavily armed it was.”

“Well, it’s the best, it would be protected.” Sen says.

“Don’t worry. We’ll heal.” Tune tells her. Lak took a blaster shot to the shoulder and from the sound of it is fighting Kix. I decide to disappear into my room.

 


	6. Chapter 6

I stand in the room. I’m alone, I’m not sure where Anya is, probably chewing something up. I hear someone knock and I turn as the door opens. Four men, three in armor, come in.

“Yes?” I ask. They say nothing, but when one gets closer into the light, half his face is rotting away. The others are the same, each in various states of decay. Then I see the fourth.

“Miirraa.” It says. “You need to follow your code.” I wake up. We buried them, that’s what Rassas code says to do. Maybe it wasn’t deep enough; the rain could have washed the bodies out. Fire. Fire is the other way to dispose of the body. I need to go back.

I dart out into the hangar. The doors are still open, I’m glad. I climb in m ship and stop when I hear a squeak. I look down to where Anya is climbing in.

“You really want to go? You’ll have to be quiet and sneaky.” I tell her. She bobs her head and wiggles all over. The ship closes and takes off.

We fly low over the planet. The ship aims for where we buried them and lands a ways away from the site. I get out and Anya stays to guard the ship. I walk toward the site and freeze when it’s in view.

Four stormtroopers are hanging out around the rocks. I creep closer and see the four bodies are no longer underground, but lying around.

I step out silently, my lightsabers ready. One sees me and shouts a warning, but is silenced by my blade. The rest soon follow and I deactivate my blades.

I find wood and brush in the scrub and pile it up, then put the four clones on top of it. I set it on fire and watch it burn. I look down at the dead troopers and decide to burn them as well. I get more wood and put their bodies up as well.

I wait for the pyre to burn down, and look up. There’s a huge amount of smoke rising, and I begin to worry about whether people will investigate it. I ignore it and sit back. I watch the flames take their bodies and allow their souls to be free.

I never thought I would be following Rassas culture like this. But as I’m the last of their people, I guess I have to.

I remember Gap as he boarded the LAAT after the battle was over, and we had rebuilt. He had taken off his helmet and was holding it under his arm, and never broke eye contact with me as the ship had lifted off.

Since that day I had trained with every weapon imaginable, sticks, guns, knives, lightsabers, my teeth, my fists, my feet, my legs and arms. I learned how to survive. I never went after the Haleeshen Viper, I deemed the one I killed earlier enough, my secret score. Only the Jedi and me knew that I was better than the others. I remember Gap helping me to bury my friends and burn my parents, letting me sob into his leg as I felt their spirits leave.

I remember him helping me to build my house, helping others to rebuild. He never minded the heavy lifting, he seemed to enjoy it. He also never minded the younger kids when they would try to help

I played with other kids again, after the battle scars had let go of the planet, or the planet had let go of the battle scars. But my craving for the rush never left.

I knew it was strange, the little girl leading her people into battle, leading them to victory, and that she never strayed far from her house unless Gap took her, whose first reaction to a large Bantha the Republic brought to help haul stuff was to attack it. The little girl with the green eyes, the same shade on the forest, that would flare bright when she was angry, who could become someone else entirely.

I am still the little girl who screamed for Gap when he was knocked out by droids. 

I am still the little girl who trained herself to be able to fight back, to help in the war.

I am still the little girl who followed Gap around passionately.

This is what the fire tells me as I watch it set free the spirits of my friends. 

 


	7. Chapter 7

When the ashes blow away I go back to the ship. I say nothing, and both Anya and the ship do not attempt a conversation, though as it would be between a nexu, a ship and a human, there’s a slight language barrier. As we come back into the same space as the pirate ship I look at the ship’s wall.

“I really need to name you.” I tell it. the lights blink in agreement. Of course, it could be a ‘no...’.

“How about ‘New Sun’?” I ask. It whirrs and beeps at me. “New Sun it is.”

I land in the hangar and get out, hoping to get into my room without anyone noticing.

“Where were you?” Ahsoka comes out of the cockpit and blocks my path. Anya scurries by her and into the room we share.

“Following Rassas code.” I move to pass her but she won’t let me.

“Where and why?”

“On the planet we just came from, so I won’t have rotting-body dreams. I burned the bodies.” She accepts this am I go into the room. I’m glad she let me and Anya have a room all to ourselves, but we know that they might bunk if the clones begin getting on each others’ nerves.

I look up as Gap walks toward me.

“Thank you.” He tells me.

“Why did you let yourself get shot?” I ask him.

“Because it was my time.” He replies.

“Is this your last visit?” I ask.

“Probably.” I reach for him, but he gently pushes my hands away. “It’s time for you to let go. The others are already gone, but your heart is still holding on.”

“I can’t let you go.” I whisper.

“You have to.” I close my eyes. He wraps his arms around me and whispers, “I love you Miirraa. I know you love me. But it’s true about love-- the hardest part is letting go. You don’t have to let go all at once. That would be too hard. But you need to let go, if just a little at a time. Please.” I shake my head and cling to him. I feel like I’m five. “Miirraa.” His voice is stronger now. “If you love me, let me go. If you love me, keep living.” I look up into his eyes. They’re such a contrast from my cold green ones.

“I’ll try.”

“Remember what Master Yoda always said. ‘Do or do not. There is no try.’” He tells me.

“Goodbye Gap.” I tell him. I squeeze him and stand away. He smiles and turns, and walks into the light that always followed him. I look up at the ceiling, and for the first time since the war started, I allow the salty drops to run down my face, as I let my friend, my adoptive father, go. 


	8. Chapter 8

I stand in the hangar and look over New Sun.

“Where to next?” I ask as Ahsoka comes in.

“Well, seeing as we failed on destroying the ship, we need to find a smaller target, maybe something that can be destroyed purely by air.” She replies.

“Any ideas?”

“No. Numa’s searching on the datapads.”

I don’t know how long later, she gets a hit. There’s an outpost on a small planet close by, and we can probably take it out relatively easily. The reason we’re attacking is because it will clear up trade on that planet.

We circle low overhead. It’s small, just three buildings and an airstrip. There are only three turrets, so I don’t understand it at all. Waxer, Boil, Lemon and I are in the turrets, and as soon as we open fire we need to be turning around, so Ahsoka and Sen are piloting. I grip the gun and wait as we fly low overhead.

“3…2…1…now!” Sen calls, and we shoot it down. We pummel bolt after bolt into the walls and ships and buildings until, like the complex, it’s nothing more than a pile of rubble as we gun it back into space.

“TIE Fighters, on our tail!” Sen shouts. I swivel in my seat and we attack the five TIEs chasing us. Two are hit, not by me, and explode, the remaining three break out of formation. I chase one with the guns and nick its wing, and it turns and flies straight toward us. Boil shoots it down and I somehow blow one up. The other is shot and we shoot into hyperspace.

“We did it.” Ahsoka says.

“Yeah. Now what?” Numa asks.

“We build up. First that outpost, next a base, I think this aerial bombardment stuff is working for us.” Sen says.

“Anyone else want my turret? I don’t know how I shot that TIE down.” I say.

I stand in my room. I see something orange as I walk toward my bed and jerk around. There’s a flower from Rassas’ deserts on the floor. I close my eyes and the grey walls, floor and bed and the orange flower leave, replaced by blackness. Then I open them again, letting the grey come back to flood my vision.

No flower. Weird. I lie down on my bed and smell something sour. I look over and see a Haleeshen Viper coiling around my arm, its orange scales blaring brightly against the white and green of my armor. I feel my eyes get big and I blink, and the snake’s gone.

I get back up and hope that I won’t find a Gongo in here. Then of course I hear the growling and look over my shoulder. Yup, the Gongo’s standing by the door. It bares all five billion or so of its teeth and steps toward me, its two heads biting and snapping at me. I can see the muscles tightly packed underneath its skin as it advances toward me.

I blink. The Gongo disappears. I lie back down on the bed and wait for what’s next.

My eyes fly open. I’m on a cot inside a house, not my hut, but in a house that’s familiar to me. The sun’s coming through the window someone has sloppily hung cloth over, and I look around. Clay pots adorn dark wood shelves, and the clay of the walls keeps the air cool.

I go out and am greeted with a huge expanse of colours. The dirt is the same dark red clay colour; the trees are all green and without a single burn. I’m in the town, and the tall buildings that multiple families lived in have a feeling of life inside them.

I walk down the street and am called out to.

“Miirraa! Good morning, your mother was hoping you could get some water from the river.” A red Twi’lek woman tells me. I nod and go back to get a water skin.

I glance out the window as something blocks the sun. Just a ship, probably traders.

I take the skin and run out, my bare feet slapping the hard ground. When I get to the river the sun is blocked again, this time for much longer. I look up and see a huge ship coming down, and many smaller ships are flying around it. 

Something’s wrong. Traders don’t go around in multiple ships, and none that big. I finish filling the skin and run back. The Twi’lek has disappeared, and the town has fallen silent. I get inside and give my mother the water.

“The Separatists are here. You have to hide.” She whispers. I don’t know who these Separatists are, but my mother’s terrified, and I scoot under the bed and she follows. Something hits the roof, and the building shakes. I open my mouth to ask her who the Separatists are when something else hits the roof, and the building caves in. she pulls me under her to shield me from the rubble. I hear clanking and look up as a big dark metal monster picks the bed up from above us. A thinner lighter-coloured monster points a blaster at us.

“Get up.” we do so. “Put your hands up.” my mother does so, and then grabs her pistol. Before the monsters can react, she shoots them both.

“Run! Now!” she orders. I run out the back, and she follows.

“Look! Those two are escaping! Fire!” a small monster shouts. I duck low as red bolts fly overhead, and hear my mother’s pistol as it fires. Then I hear a cry, and bolts hitting flesh. I turn and see my mother fall to the earth, her back riddled with smoking holes. My eyes water and I scream, and run toward her. Her mouth moves slightly, and I barely hear what she’s saying, but I hear enough.

“Run.” I turn and do so, leaving the droids focused on my dead mother.

Ships fill the skies, and huge missiles fall out of them, leaving burned craters where they hit. I dodge both the craters and the bombs as I race for the forest. I slip as another bomb falls toward me and I jump, falling over the side of a ditch and rolling into the forest. I land in a small pool and climb out quickly, and keep running.

I wake up in a cold sweat. My heart rate’s up, and the pounding of it echoes through my head. I force my breathing down, and end up dizzy. I close my eyes, Rassas etched on my eyelids. I feel Anya climb up and lie down on me, her claws pressing into my chest.

“Hey, girl.” I mutter. She purrs, chewing on my ear. “I saw my home.” She stops and scoots back, looking at me intently. “I don’t know why, but I relived the day the droids attacked.” She closes her bright blue eyes and I copy her, letting myself disappear into sleep. 

 


	9. Chapter 9

I wake up again. I remember seeing something in my sleep, not Rassas, but the dream vanished as soon as my eyes opened. I get up and go out into the main area. The lights are out, so I guess everyone’s asleep.

I go into the hangar and New Sun turns on. I clean it, making sure the metal stays dull, to help with camouflage. I do make sure the dirt and grime it’s picked up from different planets is scraped off. I hear a loud yowling and slip, falling off the ship and onto the floor. I run into the cockpit where the noise came from and so does everyone else. Anya’s puffed up and staring out the window. I get closer and see why. A huge ship just came out of hyperspace near us.

“Imperials.” Ahsoka says.

“That doesn’t look Imperial.” Sen says. I look down at the controls as a button starts to blink. Sen presses it.

::Ship, identify yourself.::

“We could ask you the same thing.” I tell it.

::Ah, I believe I’m hearing Admiral Tensraka?:: the voice is sounding way too much like Farty for my taste.

“Commander Falcon, is that you?” Ahsoka asks.

::Yes, it is.::

“I’m glad to hear you're all right.”

::Yes. Will you land in the main hangar and join the Rebel Alliance again? You have proven invaluable.:: Ahsoka looks at us. I shake my head. I turn to the others to see what they think, and each answer is the same. No. Ahsoka turns back to the controls.

“I’m sorry, Commander, but the answer is no, we’re leading our own attack on the Empire.”

::Are you sure?::

“Yes. We’re sure.” I tell him.

::Very well. May the Force be with you.::

“May the Force be with you too.” Ahsoka tells him, and the transmission ends. “Now that we’ve just announced that we’ve essentially gone rogue, we need to start really having a plan and strategies, and potentially a base to work from.”

“This ship.” Wolffe says. “It can be our base of operations. It has everything we might need, turrets, a good-sized hangar, a food supply, beds, the list goes on.”

“I agree.” Rex says.

“All in favor?” Ahsoka asks. All hands go up. “All opposed?” no hands. “Then we have our base. Let’s begin.” 

 


	10. Chapter 10

I sit up. Silence. At this time that’s unnatural. Then I hear a roar, not an animal’s call, but a ship’s. I go outside. I look up and scream as a ship drops a bomb, blowing part of the mountain out and sparking a fire in the already dry trees. Flames fly high against the twilight sky as smoke begins to rise.

I open my eyes, and as if by some unseen force, they close again.

I turn slightly. I can see the sky for a moment, but the smoke clouds my vision again. I feel the heat of the fire grow stronger and I run through the burning town.

Huge ships send small fighters to drop bombs and shoot down people. The river burns, fire eating the water away, stealing the trees’ lives to feed its own. I feel a shot from behind hit me and I fall, watching the ships destroy everything. My eyes open wide. I’m on my bed, but I fall back into the dream. 

Fire. Fire everywhere. Smoke, screaming, both from people and ships. I can see them clearer now, I think they’re TIE fighters. I am frozen, people rush past me, ships try to take off but are shot down. A wall of fire races toward me, and I scream silently as it hits, heat attacking my flesh. I stiffen, my arms and legs straight out against the hard mattress. I don’t want to go back to sleep, but I feel it taking me away.

Smoke. That’s what rises from the earth. I stand, looking around at the burning world. Troops cage animals and people, loading them onto ships, taking them away from their home.

I kneel before a collapsed house, where the bodies of a woman and her children lie. I look up at the sky as a rumble breaks the silence. A small ship takes off and speeds away into the dark of space. I hear heavy breathing. Some escaped. I roll over, and darkness takes me again.

The world is grey; smoke stopped rising from the ashes of buildings, people and plants long ago. In the mountains I can see something, not grey like everything else, but green, a bright green that doesn’t fit the dark, dead surface.

It’s a plant, just a little sprout, but it’s strong, and one purple bud is beginning to blossom.

The faint glow of a sun appears, and I step onto a rock overlooking the entire planet. I can see plains, burned-out buildings, a vast forest, tall mountains and an endless desert, and I realize that this is Rassas, and it’s coming back. My eyes open. I’m flat on my back in my room and sweating. The ship rumbles as we fly through hyperspace. I force my breathing to slow down and I blink. Some Rassas-born are still alive. I close my eyes, and let the vision drift into the back of my head as I go into a true sleep.

 


	11. Chapter 11

I walk into the cockpit and over to where Ahsoka is sitting.

“What is it?” I ask.

“There’s a strange pulse coming from the planet below us. I can feel a strong Force presence down there.”

“So do we go in all at once, or just a few of us?” I ask.

“I don’t know. We’re above Cholganna, so I think if anything, we should bring Anya.

“I think nine of us should go down, the rest be ready to get us out fast.” Numa comes in.

“So where are we going?” Denk asks me. I look at my squad.

“Sorry, guys, I’m the only one going down.”

“What? Why?” Kink asks.

“Ahsoka agrees with Numa, only nine are going.”

“Well, why are you going?” Lemon asks.

“I guess because I’m one of the three with lightsabers.” I tell him.

“Well, we’ll be here when you get back.” Jas says. I look up at Blast where he’s sitting on a bunk.

“May the Force be with you.” He says. I nod and walk out to the hangar.

I jump out of the ship as it hovers a bit above the ground. I turn to Ahsoka as she jumps out, and Numa, Anya, Waxer, Boil, Hardcase, Rex and Sen get out as well.

Ahsoka leads us into the forest as the ship takes off, shooting back up into space to wait. Anya walks close beside me, her four blue eyes looking around anxiously at the dark trees. I touch my lightsabers and ignore the nervous feeling in my gut.

A ways in I hear a low growling and glance down at Anya. She looks up at me, wondering where it came from as well. The growling grows louder and I hear a shout as something hits the ground. I turn and Anya charges a large tan striped nexu.

She collides with it and bites down hard on its leg. It screeches and rakes her back with its claws. She snarls and rips open its belly and neck as it screeches, then goes limp. She turns back to me, blood on her fur and claws. I close my eyes and then open them again, as we keep walking.

I feel multiple sets of eyes watching us, and more than once I turned to see something flash close by. Anya seems to have scared whatever was stalking us off though, when the last time it appeared, she roared, sending the already-silent birds flying for cover.

I see something glint in the corner of my eye and I turn, grabbing my lightsaber.

“Miirraa, calm down.” Ahsoka tells me. I nod and put my lightsaber away, but I glance back as we keep moving, and I swear I see someone standing there.

After a while we hear rustling again, and then one of us yells. I turn and see Boil dragged off the trail and into the forest. I grab my lightsaber and run after him. “Miirraa! Wait!” I hear Ahsoka shout, but I ignore her. I hear a yowl and know Anya’s following me. I can see Boil and someone in dark clothing, and then they disappear. I speed up and crash out of the forest into a large rocky clearing. I see Boil flopped on the over end unconscious and look around.

“We meet again, Changeling.” I turn and see someone on the edge.

“Who are you?” I ask.

“Your memory does not serve you, ‘Admiral’.” She pulls her hood down and I snarl. It’s Ventress. 

 


	12. Chapter 12

“Why are you here?” I ask.

“To wipe out the last remnants of the Republic. A new power has risen, you really should stop fighting it.” She says.

“We’ll see.” I say, and activate my lightsaber. She raises where her eyebrow would be and ignites both of her lightsabers.

I lunge at Ventress without thinking, bringing my lightsaber up to slash at her face. She blocks and uses her other lightsaber to swing at me. I twist, blocking both and kick her shin. She snarls and stabs at me. I dodge and grab for my other lightsaber, but I can’t feel it where it should be. I duck her red blade and block with my orange. I jump away and glance down. My lightsaber’s on the other side of my belt. I grab it and block Ventress’ attack, and activate the other, bringing it up to block her second lightsaber.

“You didn’t have this the last time we fought.” She snarls.

“I upgraded.” I reply, twist the blades away, and swing at her. She blocks both and Force pushes me away, and then jumps at me, swinging wildly. I block as best I can, but I feel her slowly gaining ground. She catches me in a hold and presses down, forcing me almost to my knees.

I hear a roar and see Anya charge Ventress from behind. She runs into the Sith and bites at her legs. Ventress breaks the hold and begins fighting Anya. I attack her as well, to keep Ventress from slashing her. I throw a series of stabs and slashes at her, and she blocks them all. We go into a hold again and I’m pushing her back when someone comes out of the forest.

“Ventress.” She breaks the hold and charges Ahsoka. They meet blades and slash viciously at each other across the clearing. Anya begins trying to wake Boil up and I keep my blades activated, ready to attack again.

“Miirraa, get back to the others and call the ship!” Ahsoka orders. I pause as Boil gets up, and then we run, leaving Ahsoka and Ventress to fight.

“Rex, call the ship back! Ahsoka’s orders!” I shout as Anya, Boil and I burst out from the forest. He nods and turns on his comlink.

“Any reason?” Numa asks.

“No, not really, just that she’s in a life-or-death duel with Ventress. Tell the ship to circle around the clearing after picking us up.” I tell Rex. He nods and does so.

“Meet you there.” Sen says, and runs off toward the clearing.

“Sen! You don’t know how strong she is!” Rex shouts.

“See you. Anya, stay.” I say, and follow. I run out into the clearing just as Ventress attacks Sen. Ahsoka stands up shakily and I bend down, grabbing her lightsabers and handing them to her. She activates them and attacks again. Ventress holds off all four blades with relative ease and knocks Ahsoka away again, and I charge, bringing my blade down on her arm, or where it was.

Sen and I duel her around the clearing, until she grabs me and hurls me across the clearing into a thick tree. I land on the ground hard and watch through my fading vision as Ventress flees when the rumble of a ship is heard overhead. I see someone that looks like Lemon over me as I fall away.

 


	13. Chapter 13

 

I wake up slowly, but don’t open my eyes. I feel something hard underneath me, and I’m not in my armor. I can hear beeping and whirring, and someone breathing near me. I open my eyes. I’m in the room we decided to use for medical purposes, on the bed in it, and Kix is doing something with his supplies.

“Hello.” I say. He turns.

“Hi.”

“How long have I been out?” I ask.

“A few hours. You took a hard fall there, you’re lucky you didn’t break anything.” He says.

“Thank my reinforced plastic.” I tell him. He snorts.

“And your reinforced bones.”

“That’s nice. Can I go?” I ask him.

“In a bit. I just want to make sure you’ll be all right.” He answers. I look down at my arm. the scars from the needles are a dark brown and red, but they’re beginning to heal, probably because of Kix.

“Did you take blood samples?” I ask.

“Yes, I’m looking at them now.” He says. I sit up and lean against the wall, watching him. He straightens up and looks at me.

“What?” I ask.

“You have about six or seven different chemicals in your bloodstream.”

“So?”

“So, they’re all forms of steroids, kinds meant to channel more aggressive tendencies, and limit rational thinking.”

“And the means?”

“It means that your decision-making skills will begin to be severely limited, and you’ll be more aggressive in your actions. You will be a danger to the others.” Kix tells me.

“And your idea?” I ask him.

“You seem quite calm about this. I want you to come back in here every day. I’ll give you sedatives until the chemicals leave your system. All right?” he asks. I nod. “You’re free to go.”

 


	14. Chapter 14

I walk over to where we stuck the food. I dig around inside it for something to eat and find some rations that don’t look like Bantha fodder.

“I told you to stay back.” I turn to Ahsoka.

“I followed Sen.”

“Before that.”

“Well it’s not like you haven’t done the exact same thing.” I reply.

“Miirraa, we are the last of the Republic that hasn’t been sucked into the Empire! We need everyone alive! If you can’t follow a simple order, I don’t think I should be letting you go on missions.” She tells me.

“Do you hear yourself? You know me, and you know I can’t stand by and do nothing. So why are you so upset about me chasing off after Ventress?” I ask her.

“I can’t let anyone get hurt. If anyone dies, we’ll be that much closer to failure. You know me, and you know I can’t stand by and let the men under my command die needlessly.”

“Well, no one did.” I tell her.

“Not this time. But I am going to keep you off of missions for the time being.”

I stand in the cockpit as the ship hangs in space over a planet. Wolfpack has gone in to blow a base to bits and we haven’t heard from tem in a while. I grip the top of a seat so tightly my nails make dents in it.

“Is this what you feel when we go on missions?” I ask Ahsoka. She nods.

“I want to be down on the surface, but if anyone sees me they’ll know who I am, Anakin’s old Padawan. It would put the rest you in danger if they ran a search.” She replies.

::General, we’ve set the charges and are leaving the building. When should we detonate them?:: I hear her sigh as Wolffe begins talking on the comlink.

“Good, Wolffe. Get back to the drop-off point and we’ll pick you up.” She says.

::Will do, sir.:: Waxer and Boil steer the ship back down into the atmosphere and over to the cliff they got off from, hovering low enough for them to climb in. I see the squad running up and Boil opens the hangar doors.

“All right, Wolffe, detonate the charges.” Ahsoka orders as they come in. he nods and presses the button and I hear a loud explosion that shakes the mountain. Waxer pulls the ship away as rocks fall down from the top.

When we get back into space Ahsoka brings the rest of Jet Squad in.

“All right, you six, I’m putting you back in. there’s an Imperial-occupied world close by that’s got a large slaving operation. I need you to go down and assassinate the Moff in charge. Once he’s dead the operation will fall apart. Got it?” she asks.

“Oh yeah.” I say.


	15. Chapter 15

I walk out into the hangar and over to the door as we exit hyperspace over the planet. Ahsoka looks at me funny as I wait to jump out of the ship.

“What?” I ask.

“Be careful. Slavers are two-faced deceivers, and they’ll kill you as soon as look at you.” She warns.

“We’ll be fine. Keep the ship in orbit until we need to get off.” I tell her. She nods but looks worried, and I remember her telling me about Zygerria.

“Don’t worry, we won’t be caught by them. Everything will go as planned.” I say. Her face doesn’t change as I walk toward the hangar force field.

The ship flies low over the dusty yellow planet and we jump out, hitting the ground as the ship flies back up into space. I pull Denk up and we walk toward where the Moff is.

There’s a wall around the city, and an open gate, though guards are hanging around. I mentally kick myself for not making us wear civilian clothing instead of our armor, but its all so dirty I doubt they could tell what it was.

It looks like we’re in a bazaar or something, there are small stands selling oils, food and clothing, and people standing around bartering with them. I feel eyes watching us, and I count the species here to buy. Human, Zabrak, a few Hutts, Rattatak, and I think a Zygerrian arguing with a Duros over a large jar.

We leave the market area and move into where the Moff probably is. I glance around to begin forming possible escape plans.

The walls of the main fortress are too high for us to safely jump down from without jetpacks, which ironically we left behind, so that’s out. The gates are heavily guarded, so we’d need our blasters to get out that way. I can’t see any other escapes; this guy had a good architect.

We enter the gates and by the armored guards. They’re not stormtrooper, they don’t have the armor, and they have heavy force pikes and look like they know how to use them in the most painful way possible. I make a note to avoid them at all costs.

We get inside the auction area and I can see where the Moff will be in a covered balcony at one end of the rectangular multi-level complex.

“When does the next auction start?” I ask Jas.

“Five clicks.” He replies. We wait as people start filing in and taking places around in the balconies, waiting eagerly to buy and sell and trade people like worthless animals. I feel a slash of anger claw in me and I can't wait to bring the Moff down.

I look up as someone begins speaking from the special balcony a story above us. I watch Blast take aim with his pistol and I see a Duros there.

“Wait! That’s not him!” I whisper. He stops and hides the pistol quickly.

“How do you know?” He asks.

“The Empire’s anti-non-Human, remember?”

“Oh yeah.”

A Human walks out from behind the Duros and waves him away.

“Greetings, esteemed customers. Today I am proud to present to you a shipment of 50 different aliens for your purchase!” a door opened and Twi’leks, Togruta, Pa’lowick and a few Wookiees walked out. I grip the balcony rail.

“From Ryloth to Kashyyyk, we have only the finest specimens here for your choosing.” He continues.

“Shoot his ugly face in.” I tell Blast. The Moff’s face isn’t that ugly, in fact it’s kind of handsome, but all I want is for him to shut up with the talking about people like they’re pottery or cloth or some other good.

Blast shoots but the bolt hits a force field and the Moff looks at us quickly. He presses something and five guards run toward us and we each take out blasters and shoot them down. More guards arrive and I wish we had our jetpacks.

I hear someone cry out and I watch Denk fall to the ground. Kink steps over him protectively and keeps firing, but he gets stunned as well. I grab my lightsabers and activate them into a guard, then spin them quickly, deflecting their blaster fire.

I feel a zap from behind and I turn, unwilling to be defeated. I hear the others fall and see Lemon out of the corner of my eye. We stand back-to-back, ready to defend each other, when someone shoots us both twice. I fall to the ground as the world and the failed mission fade away. 16.

I slowly wake up. I feel something hard underneath me, and I’m still in my armor, which I take as a good sign. I hear someone come in and I keep still, hoping that if they think I’m still out they’ll leave me alone.

“Get up.” I hear someone say and I feel a sharp pain as the person kicks me in the side. I grunt and look up at him. “Are you deaf? Get up!” he orders and kicks me again. I bite down on my lip to keep myself from snarling and I stand up. His head only comes up to my chest.

He cranes his neck back to look me in the eye. I’m pretty sure I could take him down, but I don’t know what weapons he has on him.

“Good, I see you follow orders well.” Is all he says as he walks around me.

“So?” I ask. He looks annoyed that I spoke.

“You will only speak when asked a question, and even then you will keep it short and polite. No backtalk, no questions, no nothing.” He says. Idiot. “Now, what’s your name?” he asks.

“Brigand.” I need to keep as much as I can secret.

“What kind of a name is that?” he asks. I keep my mouth shut. “All right, your age?”

“Not sure.” I reply.

“Give me an estimate, girl, I don’t have all day.” But I do.

“20.” I think that’s how old I am.

“Good. Now, why were you trying to assassinate the Moff?” he asks.

“That’s classified.” I say, and earn a kick to the shin. I ignore it and meet his gaze without blinking. He blinks and looks away.

“We’ll continue this discussion later.” He says and leaves.

I look around the cell. The floor’s dirt, the walls are clay, and the roof is wood. It’s obviously pretty old. I scratch at the base of one wall, but it’s too hard to chip. The floor’s also too hard, and I see why they kept using this place for a prison. I hear shouting outside the door and I step closer to it. I can hear two voices, one the human, another someone else.

“…And if she doesn’t say anything?” The human asks.

“Then you know what to do.” I back away and watch as they open the door. The Human and a Zabrak come in.

“Well, girl, it’s nice to see you’ve stayed in one place.” The Zabrak says. I raise my eyebrow. “You’re difficult girl, but we’ll soon fix that.” He tells me. He takes a force pike from the Human and turns it on.

“So tell us, who do you work for?” he asks. I shrug. He presses the point to my shoulder and I grimace as my shoulder goes numb from the shock. “Let me ask again. Who do you work for?”

“Who do you work for?” I ask. He glares and presses harder to my other shoulder.

“I asked you a question, don’t make me ask it again.” he pushes the point into the gap underneath the shoulder plate. I snarl and he smiles.

“You won’t tell us?” he asks. I shake my head. “Fine. I’m sure your friends will be more cooperative.” He presses the pike to my neck hard, but looks disappointed when I fall, as if anyone could keep standing after that. I lie motionless on the ground and he sighs. He hits me with the pike and I nearly pass out. I go limp and let my head loll to the side. He swears and the two leave.

I need to get me and my squad out, and fast. I look up at the ceiling. I think I could hang onto the boards and climb out over them when they come back. I decide to pretend to sleep.

I guess I really did sleep because I have to force myself to open my eyes and get up when I hear them coming back. I climb up onto the ceiling, holding onto the gaps and boards. The two come in and I slowly climb across the ceiling and over to the door as they get into the middle and look around quickly.

“Where did she go? She was in here when we left.” The Human asks. I drop down and back out and hit the button, letting the door slam down and lock.

I run off and find where they put our stuff. I grab a blaster and my lightsabers, and sneak back out. I hear doors open behind me and people shouting and I open the door closest to me. Kink’s inside and I drag him out, not waiting for him to stand up.

“Come on!” I tell him.

“Where’s everyone else?” he asks. I don’t answer. “They’re still in their cells, aren’t they?” he asks.

“We don’t have time to get them. Come on!”

“I can’t leave Denk!” I turn back to him. The voices are growing louder. I step toward him.

“I don’t like it any more than you do, but if we’re all caught it does none of us any good!” I snap. He looks back and then nods. I grab his arm and pull him along behind me.

We run out to where there are a few speeders. I get on one and pull Kink on behind me. I turn the throttle and we shoot off. Guards get on the other speeders and follow us. I hand Kink the pistol.

“Shoot them down!” I order, and dodge a blaster bolt. I hear an explosion and the guards opening fire on us. I swerve around a landing ship and glance back. More speeders are chasing us. Kink shoots a few times and I hear several explosions. Even more speeders chase us and I look around quickly. There’s a cliff near us, speeders behind us and the only way out is blocked. I make a split-second decision and gun the engines toward the cliff.

“Miirraa, what are you doing?” I hear Kink yell. I ignore him and feel blaster bolts fly by us as we near the edge. “Turn around! What are you--that’s a cliff!”

“I know!” I say, and we shoot off over the edge. The speeder hangs there for a moment, and then falls into the black depths. I hear the guards yelling but they don’t shoot, probably because they think we’ll die at the bottom.

Probably.

The speeder picks up speed as the top of the cliff disappears. I glance to the side and see an outcrop. I angle the speeder to it and it hits hard, sending us flying off it into a small cave. I slide and hit the wall, and Kink runs into me. I stand up and pull the speeder in and look over at Kink.

“You okay?” I ask. He shrugs. “We’ll get them back.” I tell him. He looks up at me and nods. 

 


	16. Chapter 16

I sit up from where I was sleeping behind the speeder. I walk out onto the outcrop and look up. Ships fly overhead, all going toward the same place.

“Kink.” I whisper. He groans and looks at me. I motion him over and he looks up at the ships.

“What about them?” he mumbles.

“I think there’ll be another auction soon. If we can get into the Moff’s balcony, we can shoot him there.” I say.

“Maybe. How do we get back up?” he asks. I look at the cliff. There are pockmarks in the grey surface, some deeper than others, but they’ll be good for handholds.

I grip the cliff face and pull myself up another step. I hear Kink gasping for air and sending rock bits down into the bottom. I feel my arms tightening up as I pull myself up another half-meter.

“Hanging in there, Kink?” I ask.

“Ha ha.” He replies.

“Well don’t laugh too hard, we’re almost up.” I tell him. I can hear him scraping below me and I keep climbing, digging my hands and feet into the small indentations in the rock. I snarl as the hole I’m using as a grip falls apart, the rock falling down below me.

I grab the rough edge of the cliff and push myself up over it onto the slate ground. I roll onto the ground and stand up. I turn and haul Kink up behind me, and we look around. The place is empty and dark, and there are lights coming from a high-walled arena-thing.

We run over to the arena and Kink climbs up to look inside.

“They’re having people fight each other.” He tells me as he climbs down.

“Any of them in there?” I ask.

“Nope, not that I could see.” He answers.

We stop outside the auction complex.

“All right, you get into the Moff’s balcony and wait for him, I’ll hide out on the roof in case you don’t kill him.” I say.

He nods and we split up. I hide my armor and climb the wall up onto the slanted roof. The complex floor’s a long way down below me and the Moff’s balcony is pretty close by. I crouch in the shadow of part of the roof and wait. Pretty soon I hear someone in the balcony, making the crowd cheer.

“Welcome, esteemed guests! I am honored that you came today, for one of the best auctions to ever happen on this floor! Today we have four clones from the Old Republic for your buying pleasure!” My eyes widen as Blast, Denk, Lemon and Jas walk out. “These are the clones who fought it out in this very place not two days ago!” I watch Kink stand up from behind his hiding spot and raise the pistol to take aim.

I see the shot fired and the Moff shouts as the bolt hits his arm. Kink missed. The Moff turns and grabs Kink and throws him through the shield down onto the auction floor. He rolls a meter and goes limp when he stops, but he’s still alive.

“I apologize for that, it seems we had a breakout from where they were being kept.” The Moff says. I grab my lightsabers and get ready to jump. “It seems that we should continue before any other setbacks happen. Who would like to place the first bid?”

“100 for the bald one!” I hear someone shout.

“200!” someone else yells. Others join in, until Lemon’s about to be sold for 1000. I stand up.

“Your lives for them all!” I shout. The crowd goes silent and I step out of the shadows. Lemon looks up at me with a somewhat annoyed look on his face.

“Shoot the girl!” The Moff yells, and guards begin to open fire. I activate one of my lightsabers and deflect the bolts, then jump down onto the floor. I spin my lightsaber and free the rest of my squad.

“What took you so long?” Lemon asks me as I pull a few blasters down from the guards with the Force.

“I just wanted to see what people would pay for a maniac like you.” I reply, tossing him one.

“That’s nice. Have any jetpacks?” he asks, shooting a guard. Denk pulls Kink up and they each take a blaster and shoot down a bunch of guards coming onto the floor.

“Sorry, we’re fresh out.” I tell him and activate my other lightsaber, spinning them to discourage a wave of guards. Jas begins fighting his shock collar and I take a lucky swing, slicing it in two.

“Hold still.” I tell Lemon and cut his off as well. I do the same with Blast and Denk. I look over at the door and see three more waves coming, each with blasters. I charge them and take first wave down relatively easily, and Lemon and Blast shoot down the next wave. I back up as even more troops come, and I brace myself for an even bigger firefight.

“Well, it was nice knowing you.” Denk says to me as they surround us.

“This is a lot like those stories some clones told of Geonosis. There were about fifteen Jedi all surrounded by droids, and then a couple LAATs attacked and they got out pretty safely.” Jas says.

“Let’s hope for a stolen pirate ship.” I say, when the floor goes dark for a second as something flies over it, and then lasers take down most of the troops. I see our ship hover and I think Hardcase at one of the turrets. Lemon’s comlink beeps and he hits it.

::I’m glad you’re alive.:: I hear Ahsoka say.

“So are we.” Lemon replies.

::There’s too much blaster fire to land, but we’ll give you air support.::

“On it.” he tells her and the comlink turns off.

I hear the doors open and a flood of guards and stormtroopers rush out. We attack, the ship providing air support, and we take down the enemy relatively quickly. I turn and see the Moff disappearing, and I run and jump at the balcony, flying through the shield and landing hard on the ground, most of my body numb. I force myself up and chase after him. He’s right in front of me and I tackle him, pinning him to the ground.

“You’re dead.” I mutter in his ear, and stab him through the head with my lightsaber. I stand up and run back into the floor, watching as the spectators trample each other in their rush for the exits. I grab Lemon’s arm and turn the comlink on.

“Mission accomplished.” I say. “Glad you could make it.”

::Well, when we didn’t hear from you we got worried. We made a pass over the place and saw a firefight going, so we dropped closer and there you were.:: She tells me.

“Can you land?” I ask.

::There’s not much in the way of a decent landing spot, and a lot of the militia’s boarding fighters. We can't pick you up yet. Can you get to a ship?::

“Probably. Do we have time to free the slaves?”

::Yeah. Go down into the prison area, that’s where they’re keeping them.::

“Got it.”

::When you’ve accomplished that there’s a town on the other side of a mountain about thirty clicks away. Get a ship and fly there; we can pick you up then. Ahsoka out.:: I let go of Lemon and we run out of the complex toward the prison area.

I hand Jas a fusion cutter and he unlocks the cells. Twi’leks, Togruta and Wookiees come out and we direct them toward ships, and then we run out ourselves.

We find a landing pad and steal a ship. Kink and Denk take the controls and we take off. We fly across the scorched desert into a grassland, and then toward a mountain surrounded by thick jungle. We’re almost over the jungle when something shoots us, ripping off the wing.

“Land now!” I shout. Denk steers the ship and hits a tree. The ship shakes and plows into the dirt, uprooting plants all the way. I get up from the floor and nudge Blast.

“I’m fine.” He says and accepts my help in standing up.

“Well I’m not, I’m gonna have a bruise the size of Anya on my head for the next week!” Lemon says as he stands up.

“Shut it, thousand-credit boy, we’ve got a long way to walk and we’d better start now.” I say. We climb out of the ship and into the jungle. 18.

We hike through the jungle, fighting brush and plants every step. I can feel the sedatives wearing off, and coupled with the repeated and my temper spiking.

“Shut up.” I say when Lemon makes a crack about the planet.

“Well it’s true, Miirraa, why are you so angry?” Lemon asks. I ignore him and keep walking.

I see the Moff’s body, limp on the stone floor, and the black burn mark in his head before I walked away.

It felt good, killing him.

I see the guards charging, as they fell to the ground by my blade, as they fell with burn marks or no heads.

I want to kill again. I want to rip flesh from bone, see the horror on the victim’s face as they die.

I hear Lemon talking again and I grab my lightsabers and turn.

I want to kill, and he’s convenient.

But I can't kill my friend.

Too bad. Do you want to be satisfied or not?

No!

You will.

It sounds like the Imperial’s in my head.

I can’t control my body as I advance on Lemon.

“I told you to shut. Up.” I tell him.

“What?” he asks.

“I. Warned. You!” I scream and slice at him. He dodges and rolls. I try to stop myself but I can't. I feel the other four trying to stop me, trying to hold me back, but I’m too strong. I can feel power rushing through me, it’s intoxicating, and I allow it to take control.

I feel someone land on my back and send electricity through me, and I grab him, letting my lightsabers fall to the ground. I hold him up above my head and throw him at another. I can’t distinguish one clone from another anymore, and I just lay into them. I backhand one and turn. Another has appeared with a syringe. He tries to stick me with it but I knock it away, I’m not letting the power go. I grab him by the neck and squeeze. He gasps and his eyes bug out, fear and pain showing inside. Weak fool.

“No one can take this from me.” I snarl, and throw him aside. He’s still alive but I’ll ignore him for now. I turn and see a blue ray fly at me. It hits but I’m not stunned.

“Hit her with everything you’ve got!” Someone shouts.

The edges of my vision are blurry, but everything else is in perfect focus. I feel another shot and grab my lightsabers as I jump onto an outcrop. I glance back and see them taking aim, and I climb high quickly, leaving them behind.

I walk into an old hangar, the manic wearing off, the memory of what I just did fading as the adrenaline dies.

“It’s so good to see my experiments weren’t in vain.” I see the Imperial at the other end.

“I thought I killed you.” I hiss.

“No, Lord Vader saved me in thanks for my work. You’re something of an interest to him.” He replies, turning to me. Smooth as ever, he advances toward me with a needle. “And now…you’re mine.” He whispers.

“No, I’ll never be yours.” I tell him.

“You already are. I had complete control over you when you were my prisoner, and I have complete control over you now. I can send you where I wish, eliminate who I want eliminated, and no one will be the wiser.” He smiles.

“My friends will come for me.”

“Oh, but they won’t. They’ll never find you here. Your friends are headed the other direction. You heard my orders, in that Jedi’s voice. And besides, even if they find you, they’ll probably kill you. You see, you killed two of them.”

“What? No, they were alive! I--I don’t remember killing them.” I say.

“Here. Take a look.” He says, and turns on a hologram. I see Lemon shaking Jas.

“Jas? Jas? No, no, no, no, no, wake up, Jas! Wake up! Denk!” he turns to the other body. “Denk! Get up! Get up, we need you! Denk! Blast, help me out here!” I watch as the other two try to revive them, but they can’t. The Imperial turns the hologram off.

“You’re a monster now, Admiral. You killed two of the men you called brothers. I highly doubt the rogues you’re with will accept you. More likely they’ll execute you.” He tells me. I look down at the ground as he turns away.

“And so, you have no other alternative. Seeing as you’re mine, your first order will be to destroy that ship you came in on.” He says with his back to me, and I begin to feel the power again.

I want to keep it, want to have it, and for that I need to do what he says. But I can’t. I have to do it, but I also have to not do it. I feel my lips curling back, an animalistic urge slicing through me, I want to attack him, to tear him apart, and leave him for the beasts to eat.

I look up, my eyes flaring bright green, boring into his back as I make my choice.

“No.” I say. He turns.

“What?”

“I said no. I won’t kill my friends.” He glares at me.

“Yes you will.” He says quietly, and fiddles with his wrist controls. The world goes fuzzy as I feel my body turning and walking out. 

 


	17. Chapter 17

I set the charges on the ship and turn as I hear them coming back. I run and hit the button, reveling in the noise and light as the ship explodes.

I have no idea how long it’s been. I recall doing things, but not what or where. The power feeds me, keeps me strong and under his control.

 

The man shouts for help but is cut off by my blade. 

 

Sometimes the Imperial can’t keep his eyes off me, he watches my every move. I think he’s falling for me.

 

I step toward the Rebel general and stab him. I walk back out as his body hits the floor.

 

He is falling for me, he tried to kiss me but I slapped him away. He didn’t try anything else. 

 

The Ithorian rebel shouts at me as I decapitate it. 

 

He trusts me; he thinks I’m completely under his control, that I can’t remember anything. But I can. I’ll kill him soon. 

 

I stab the deathstick dealer and walk away, slicing through his cronies as I go.

 

I walk back into the hangar and over to him.

“Good. With your power, I will be made into a top scientist, and I will control whole armies of enhanced stormtroopers because of you.” He says pridefully.

I can feel the power subsiding, which is good, because I can control myself again.

“Your next task will be to destroy the rogues’ ship, the one that you acquired. Kill everyone on board.” I look up. Kill my friends? Never. I have to attack him now, before I lose control. He won't suspect it; he thinks I’m under his control.

“No.” I say as he turns away. He pauses.

“What?” he asks.

“I said no. I won’t kill my friends.” He turns back to me.

“Yes you will. You will because I say so, you will because you’re under my power! You belong to me!” he snarls.

“Never. I’m not your weapon. I won’t lose control of my body again.” I tell him.

“You wouldn’t be able to get through the withdrawal.” He smirks.

“Maybe. But you won’t live to see it.” I feel rage coursing through me, and the power building.

His eyes widen as I slash at his face with my hand, and then activate my lightsabers as I charge him. He has no time to react besides show a look of utter fear and shock on his face as I bring the blades across his neck. His head, the expression still glued to it, rolls away. I ignore his body as it collapses and walk away.

I can't go back to my friends, not after I tried to kill them, even if I wasn’t in control when it happened.

And I don’t have anywhere to go.

Except into a city. Coruscant.

I stuff my armor in a sack and become a redhead with black eyes. I wander into an outpost and steal some money and an ID. I then get on a cargo ship bound for Coruscant. 

 


	18. Chapter 18

I am assigned a room with two other women-- a green Twi’lek and a Zabrak with dreadlocks. Neither likes to talk. That’s fine with me.

My bare feet slap the hard metal floor as I walk down the hall. Other people on the ship, most likely all on the run, stare at me in my black sleeveless, black leggings, black gloves, green sash and no shoes. I don’t blame them in the slightest.

I nick some food and go back into my room. I put it in the sack with my armor after wrapping it up and stuff the sack under the bed as I hear someone outside. I look up as the Twi’lek comes in.

“Hi.” I say.

“Hi.” She replies shortly. She’s been like that since she met us. She climbs up into her bunk and says nothing more. I hear the door open again and the Zabrak walks in. She also says nothing, and lies down on her bed. I decide to go to sleep, my hand clamped firmly around part of the sack.

 

I get off the ship when it lands, and head out into the shopping district to get some shoes. I find a good pair of boots and take them, then run off. I find a bar and get some money, then look for a place to sleep. I find a hotel in one of the lower districts and go in. A Chagrian’s at the front desk and looks a little annoyed when I walk up.

“What?” he asks.

“Got any rooms?”

“Yeah. You looking?”

“Biggest, please.” No sense in not hiding out in style. He looks a little confused as I hand over the credits and he hands me a key. I climb the old stairs and open the door into a somewhat shabby room. At least it has a bed and a toilet in separate rooms.

I sit on the leaky couch and look up at the ceiling where dust is falling from. Maybe I can get paid by fixing the place up. I stand up and put my sack under the bed, and cross over to the window. Ships fly by in a steady stream, and people shout at each other on the ground. I turn back and lean against the wall.

I killed my friends, or so the Imperial said.

I’m on the run from the Empire, my friends, and probably the Rebels as well, seeing as I’ve killed a bunch of them. Maybe even a few bounty hunters mixed in as well.

I’m hiding in a hotel in the crime-riddled area, and I can't use my lightsabers.

I think I’ll ‘borrow’ a pistol or two and get some actual pants, seeing as leggings won't really help anymore.

And I’ll have to keep this shape, which means no fights, no alcohol, and no getting tired in public.

I am in so much trouble. 

 


End file.
